(Credit: HDR © 2020 Barry Grossman)
ST. CATHARINES, ON — Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre is pleased to announce that it has engaged HDR Architecture Associates Inc. (HDR) as the lead healthcare and facility planning consultants for the next phase of its planned hospital expansion project — a major step forward in transforming rehabilitation care across the Niagara region.
HDR, a Canadian-owned and operated architecture firm with offices across the country, has been awarded the contract to lead the Functional Program stage of planning. This phase will define the services and space requirements for the hospital’s planned future expansion and will serve as the foundation for the next stages of planning, design, and construction.
HDR brings decades of experience in Canadian healthcare infrastructure, having partnered with clients to deliver more than 100 healthcare projects nationally, including:
- The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa
- Whistle Bend Continuing Care, Whitehorse
- Garry Hurvitz Brain Sciences Centre, Toronto
- Humber River Hospital, Toronto
HDR will lead a team of Canadian firms including Resource Planning Group Inc. and WSP Global Inc., who bring additional expertise in health facility planning and engineering.
“This next step brings our long-held vision for expanded rehabilitation services one step closer to reality,” said Dr. David Ceglie, CEO of Hotel Dieu Shaver. “We are thrilled to be partnering with a Canadian-led team with deep expertise in designing world-class healthcare facilities that reflect the needs of our patients, staff, and communities.”
The planned expansion project, backed by a $2.5 million planning grant from the Ontario government, includes plans to construct a new inpatient building on the hospital’s existing property. The new build will feature single-patient rooms and support space for clinical operations.
As Niagara’s only rehabilitation hospital, Hotel Dieu Shaver is a critical provider of healthcare in the region, treating over 1,100 inpatients and seeing more than 22,000 outpatients each year. The expansion project responds directly to Niagara’s growing and aging population, ensuring more timely access to rehabilitation, complex care, and supportive recovery services.
This announcement marks an exciting and essential step forward in bringing the hospital’s expansion vision to life.
QUOTES
Dr. David Ceglie
CEO, Hotel Dieu Shaver
“We are entering a transformational phase in Hotel Dieu Shaver’s history — one that will shape the future of rehabilitation in Niagara for generations. Partnering with HDR and a Canadian-led team reflects our commitment to building a facility that is rooted in our values, responsive to patient needs, and designed with compassion, innovation, and excellence.”
Betty-Lou Souter
Chair, Board of Trustees, Hotel Dieu Shaver
“On behalf of the Board, I’m thrilled to see this exciting milestone take shape. This step represents not just a hospital expansion, but an investment in the future health and wellbeing of our community. We are grateful to the Government of Ontario for their support and to our project partners for their leadership and vision.”
Barbara Miszkiel
Vice-President, Health Director Canada East, HDR Architecture Associates Inc
“It is a privilege to join forces with Hotel Dieu Shaver, bringing our profound expertise in Canadian healthcare to this vital project. With our dedicated partners and stakeholders, we are committed to shaping a space that embodies healing, dignity, and innovation—one that truly honours the hospital’s remarkable legacy in the Niagara region. Together, we will create an environment that uplifts and inspires, ensuring its impact resonates for generations to come.”
Sylvia Jones
Deputy Premier and Minister of Health
“Our government is protecting Ontario’s health care system and ensuring that more people in St. Catharines and across Niagara Region can connect to world-class rehabilitation and complex care, where and when they need it most. By supporting the expansion at Hotel Dieu Shaver, we are making it faster and easier for more people and their families to access the right care, in the right place, for years to come.”
Representative interior spaces from recent HDR-designed rehab and complex care-focused healthcare projects, including Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital (Toronto; featured in image directly above) and Christine E. Lynn Rehabilitation Center (Miami; featured in header image). These images illustrate the type of innovative, patient-centred environments HDR has helped create in recent years. (Credit: © Tom Arban Photography Inc.)
About Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre:
As the only rehabilitation hospital in Niagara, Hotel Dieu Shaver provides exceptional clinical outcomes in rehabilitation and complex care through the expertise of skilled staff and physicians, state-of-the-art equipment and compassionate care. Driven by a mission to restore health, rebuild lives, and renew hope, Hotel Dieu Shaver is proud to treat more than 1,100 inpatients and see more than 22,000 outpatients every year, reaching the highest level of patient outcomes and restoration of quality of life.
About HDR Architecture Associates Inc.:
HDR is a 100% employee-owned professional services firm. Founded over a century ago to bring electricity to a changing world, we are now a global company specializing in architecture, engineering, environmental and construction services. Our success in built and natural environments continues as we collaborate to solve our clients’ and communities’ most complex challenges.
Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital (Credit: © Tom Arban Photography Inc.)
Christine E. Lynn Rehabilitation Center (Credit: HDR © 2020 Barry Grossman)